New monograph illuminates Saroyan’s dramaturgy in Armenia
From September 4 to 11, Yerevan hosted the Saroyan Days festival, an initiative of the William Saroyan Foundation, which concluded with the presentation of The Nature of William Saroyan’s Dramaturgy and the Armenian Stage (Yerevan: Gitutyun, 2025, 246 pages), a scholarly monograph by Anush Aslibekyan — Senior Researcher at the Theater Department of the Institute of Arts of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, Ph.D. in Art Studies, and Associate Professor.
This book is the first comprehensive theoretical and theater studies exploration devoted to the dramaturgical particularities of the great writer William Saroyan and to the issues of staging his works. The author also presents the history of Saroyan’s plays on the Armenian stage — from the premieres of the two works that earned Saroyan international fame and awards, My Heart’s in the Highlands and The Time of Your Life, to subsequent productions of his plays in Armenia. The book includes the first ever chronological catalogue of Saroyan productions in Armenia, beginning with Vardan Ajemian’s legendary 1961 staging of My Heart’s in the Highlands at the Sundukyan State Academic Theatre and continuing up to the present day.
The volume contains archival materials and photographs from past and recent productions. The author draws on Armenian, Russian, American and European scholarly literature, as well as her own theater studies analyses of contemporary productions, interviews with directors and a wealth of published media material. Beyond its theoretical and historical significance, the book offers directors valuable insights into staging even those Saroyan plays that might initially seem less suited for performance. One of the chapters also addresses and corrects common errors and inaccuracies that have circulated in Saroyan scholarship.
The monograph was recommended for publication by the Academic Council of the Institute of Arts of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia. The academic editor is NAS RA Corresponding Member Henrik Hovhannisyan. The publication was funded by the William Saroyan Foundation (San Francisco), chaired by Scott Setragian.
This article was written by Artsvi Bakhchinyan.
